Steve Knight

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/ios-exclusive-coulson-owned-news-corp-shares-while-at-no-10-7717645.html IoS exclusive: Coulson owned News Corp shares while at No 10 Revelation raises key questions for inquiry: did Cameron know, and, if not, why not? Jane Merrick , James Hanning Sunday 06 May 2012 Andy Coulson held shares in News Corporation while he was David Cameron's head of communications at Downing Street, at a time when the Government was deciding whether to approve the company's takeover of BSkyB, it is revealed today. Mr Coulson, who faces a tough time when he gives evidence to the Leveson inquiry this Thursday, was awarded the blue-chip shares as part of his pay-off when he resigned as editor of the News of the World over the phone-hacking scandal in 2007. The revelation raises difficult questions for the Prime Minister over whether he knew about Mr Coulson's financial interests. Crucially, Mr Coulson was in possession of the shares when he was among those advising Mr Cameron over the PM's decision to hand responsibility for News Corp's bid to take over BSkyB to Jeremy Hunt in December 2010, The Independent on Sunday has learnt. Mr Coulson's shareholding means that he stood to gain financially from News Corp's planned takeover of the digital broadcaster, because Rupert Murdoch's company would have seen its stock soar. In the end, Mr Murdoch withdrew the bid in July 2011 when the company was grappling with the fallout from the revelation that the News of the World had hacked Milly Dowler's phone. It is not known whether Mr Coulson declared the potential conflict of interest to the then Cabinet Secretary, Gus O'Donnell, or whether the matter arose when he was appointed communications chief, first by the Conservative Party in 2007, and in May 2010 when he started work at No 10. Mr Cameron and George Osborne, who was central to the hiring of Mr Coulson, have already been criticised for failing to carry out sufficient checks on what the former editor knew about hacking. But the fresh disclosure about Mr Coulson's shares will put further pressure on Mr Cameron over whether he carried out "due diligence" in appointing Mr Coulson in May 2007. Questions for the Prime Minister include whether he, as a former executive for Carlton, a major media company, should have asked Mr Coulson whether he had been given any shares as part of his severance package from News International. Mr Coulson's pay-off from the media company also included severance payments which were staggered over time and continued when he began working for Mr Cameron. News International sources indicated the compensation package was "generous". Mr Coulson was subject to a type of vetting before starting work for the Tories and again before he entered No 10, but this would not have picked up on financial interests. Mr Coulson resigned as Mr Cameron's director of communications in January 2011. The shareholding could be picked up by Lord Leveson this Thursday. All special advisers are classed as civil servants under the Civil Service code, which states that conflicts of interest must be declared to senior management. Civil servants must declare "to their department or agency any business interests... shares or other securities which they or members of their immediate family [hold]... which they would be able to further as a result of their official position". No comment was available from No 10 or Mr Coulson.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/cable-i-feel-vindicated-for-declaring-war-on-murdoch-over-bskyb-7718676.html Cable: I feel vindicated for declaring war on Murdoch over BSkyB Business Secretary's announcement piles pressure on Cameron over links to News Corp Rob Hastings Monday 07 May 2012 Business Secretary Vince Cable feels "vindicated" over his dealings with Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, as links between the global media giant and the Conservative Party come under more intense scrutiny. The Liberal Democrat big-hitter was stripped of overseeing New Corp's bid to buy out BSkyB after telling undercover reporters he had "declared war" on Murdoch's empire. But he said he had been "independent and objective" and handled the bid in a "proper and fair way". His comments appear to further undermine Prime Minister David Cameron and Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who are under fire for being too close to News Corp. Mr Cable said he tried to keep News Corp at "arm's length". He declined to discuss Mr Hunt's conduct when he was pressed during a TV interview yesterday, saying that the Culture Secretary would give his own defence to the Leveson Inquiry in due course. However, with former News of the World editors Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson due to give evidence under oath to the ongoing inquiry into press ethics later this week, the Government is likely to come in for more criticism before Mr Hunt has the opportunity to testify. Yesterday's development came as details emerged of a meeting between Jose Maria Aznar – a member of News Corp's board – and Mr Cameron, George Osborne and William Hague only weeks after Mr Murdoch's Sun newspaper ditched its support for Labour to back the Tories. The meeting, revealed by The Independent on Sunday, was in November 2009 when Mr Cameron was seeking media backing in the run-up to the 2010 general election which led to him becoming Prime Minister. Significantly, it was arranged by News Corp lobbyist Frédéric Michel, whose emails with Mr Hunt's private adviser, Adam Smith, led to calls for Mr Hunt's to quit when they were published by the Leveson Inquiry. Mr Smith has resigned but Mr Hunt refuses to quit, saying that his evidence to Leveson will prove he is innocent of wrongdoing. A photo of Mr Cameron meeting Mr Aznar, a former Spanish Prime Minister, emerged last night. Mr Michel, whose emails to ex-BSkyB chairman James Murdoch implied that Mr Hunt was privately supportive of News Corp's controversial bid, has been dismissed by some Conservatives as a "fantasist". But the fact he was able to arrange such a meeting with the future Prime Minister shows he held some sway. Mr Aznar, a non-executive director at BSkyB, has a powerful position in its hierarchy. Last June he joined Mr Murdoch when he came to London in advance of Mr Hunt's scheduled announcement on whether News Corp's takeover would be approved – only for the decision to be put on ice as details of the phone-hacking scandal emerged. A Downing Street spokesman said all contact with the media company had been declared correctly. "The Prime Minister has had no inappropriate discussions about the BSkyB bid, either as Prime Minister or before. He deliberately excluded himself from the process," he said.

http://www.independe...rp-7717644.html IoS exclusive: Revealed - Cameron's secret summit with News Corp Murdoch lobbyist dismissed as a 'fantasist' set up talks between the PM and the News Corp board Jane Merrick , James Hanning Sunday 06 May 2012 David Cameron agreed to a meeting with one of Rupert Murdoch's senior executives that was arranged by the lobbyist now at the centre of the Jeremy Hunt scandal, The Independent on Sunday has learnt. Frédéric Michel, whose numerous emails to Mr Hunt's special adviser have put pressure on the Culture Secretary to resign, set up the secret talks between Mr Cameron and Jose Maria Aznar, the former prime minister of Spain and a member of Mr Murdoch's News Corporation board. The involvement of Mr Michel, the head of public affairs for News Corp, in such a top-level meeting severely undermines his portrayal by Mr Hunt and the Prime Minister as simply a lobbyist and "Walter Mitty" fantasist. The previously undisclosed meeting in November 2009 also shows how Mr Cameron was being assiduously courted by News Corp executives beyond the Murdoch family, as the company was gearing up for its bid to take over BSkyB. George Osborne and William Hague were also present at the talks, The IoS understands. The Prime Minister is under increasing pressure over the Leveson inquiry ahead of the appearances this week of the former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks and Mr Cameron's ex-communications chief, Andy Coulson. At the same time, Mr Cameron is struggling to contain open revolt among Conservative MPs over the direction of his party, including pressure from some figures to sideline George Osborne as election strategist, following Boris Johnson's securing of a second term as London Mayor. Mr Johnson's double victory exposes Mr Cameron's weakness as a leader who never crossed the finishing line, say some MPs. After weeks of post-Budget turmoil culminating in the Tories' and Liberal Democrats' dismal performance in the local elections, Mr Cameron will try to restart his premiership this week with a businesslike Queen's Speech and a renewed statement with Nick Clegg of the aims and priorities of the coalition. Mr Cameron is also finalising plans for a major cabinet reshuffle to refresh his top team. But the relaunch will be overshadowed by the appearances of Mr Coulson and Mrs Brooks, two of the people connected to News International who became closest to Mr Cameron and have the capacity to cause maximum damage to the PM under questioning from Lord Justice Leveson and Robert Jay, QC for the inquiry. The meeting between Mr Cameron and Mr Aznar was in early November 2009, just weeks after The Sun ended its support for Labour and backed the Conservative Party. At the time, News Corp was preparing to announce its bid to take over BSkyB. It is not known whether the future of the digital broadcaster was discussed at the meeting, but it is likely that the commercial interests of News Corp arose. The Conservatives never announced that the meeting had taken place. A Spanish news agency later reported details of the talks, but this was not picked up in the British press. Mr Cameron had also recently met James Murdoch at the George Club in London to discuss The Sun's support for the Tories. The secret meeting shows the extent to which Mr Cameron was engaging with News Corp executives, as well as the media tycoon himself, his son, James, and Mrs Brooks. The meeting brought together Mr Aznar, a centre-right elder statesman in Europe inside the Murdoch circle, with a British prime minister-in-waiting who had just won the seal of approval from the media tycoon. At the time, Mr Cameron was struggling to convince his centre-right counterparts in Europe, including Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy, that he had made the right decision in leaving the mainstream European People's Party and creating a new grouping which involved hard-right parties from Poland and the Czech Republic. The Tory leader would have been eager to impress Mr Aznar. The Government has made strenuous efforts to distance Mr Hunt and Mr Cameron from Mr Michel after emails revealed at the inquiry showed how he and Adam Smith, the Culture Secretary's special adviser, were in close contact while the minister had responsibility for the BSkyB takeover decision. During questions to Mr Hunt in the Commons last month, a Tory MP described Mr Michel as a "Walter Mitty" figure, a comment which the Culture Secretary failed to dismiss, even though he had met the lobbyist on several occasions. No 10 has also distanced Mr Cameron from Mr Michel. Mr Smith was forced to resign over the Michel emails, but Mr Hunt has clung on to his job. In a sign of the panic over the Leveson hearings this week, Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne sent a government lawyer to appeal last Friday for the pair and other senior ministers to have advance sight of Mr Coulson's and Mrs Brooks's written submissions. Mr Cameron, Mr Osborne and six other senior cabinet ministers will have privileged advance access to inquiry documents. Downing Street refused to respond to specific questions about what was discussed at the Aznar meeting, such as whether they talked about News Corp's commercial interests, including the company's plans for BSkyB, and whether Mr Cameron spoke to Mr Michel at the summit. A No 10 spokesman said: "All contact with News International and News Corp has been declared in the correct way. The Prime Minister has had no inappropriate discussions about the BSkyB bid, either as Prime Minister or before. He deliberately excluded himself from the process." News Corp declined to comment. Mr Aznar, who was prime minister of Spain from 1996 to 2004, was appointed as a non-executive director of the News Corp board in 2006. As well as in the UK and the US, News Corp has made inroads into Spanish media, including the launch of Fox España in 2002. Mr Aznar accompanied Mr Murdoch when he flew into London last June ahead of Mr Hunt's decision on whether to grant approval for the BSkyB takeover – which was pulled weeks later when it emerged that the News of the World had hacked Milly Dowler's phone. Gaga gig tickets for PM's top team Two members of David Cameron's inner circle enjoyed News International's hospitality at a Lady Gaga concert just days before the Prime Minister discussed the BSkyB bid with James Murdoch. No 10's chief of staff, Ed Llewellyn, and his deputy, Kate Fall, were in the NI box at the 02 Arena on 17 December 2010. Four days later, the Business Secretary, Vince Cable, was removed from deciding whether to grant approval for Rupert Murdoch's bid to take over BSkyB after telling undercover reporters how he wanted to "declare war" on Mr Murdoch. Two days after this, on 23 December, Mr Cameron went to a Christmas party hosted by NI's then chief executive, Rebekah Brooks, where he discussed the BSkyB bid with James Murdoch. Ms Fall and Mr Llewellyn have declared on the Downing Street website that they received concert tickets from NI, within the rules. It has not been revealed until now that they saw Lady Gaga, right, who was performing the London leg of her Monster Ball tour. The pair were among the 20,000 fans watching Lady Gaga perform hit songs "Just Dance", "Paparazzi" and "Bad Romance", after declaring: "Tonight we're gonna be super freaks!" Jane Merrick and Charles Engwell This article originally wrongly attributed a reference to Mr Michel as a 'Walter Mitty character' to Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude, which has since been removed. EDIT : Tidying the formatting/layout of paragraphs.

I have a First in being a contrarian arse, able to aggravate people to violence inside 25 seconds

Evidence the first responders did not dig for survivors is evidence they did not dig. Nothing more, nothing less. The possibilities why they did not do so are many : for example, but not limited to: (and purely for speculative purposes...) : No equipment for safe, deep excavations; No training in such procedures; Did not see any possibility of any survivors; Ordered not to; Awaiting NTSB officers to arrive, preserving the scene for Accident Investigators. To infer anything other than "they did not dig..." out of such a slim piece of non-evidence is a lesson in futility, and assuming facts not in evidence. Critical failure!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/may/02/murdoch-phone-hacking-us-senator?newsfeed=true Murdoch facing new challenge as US senator contacts Leveson over hacking John Rockefeller writes to British judge in bid to find out whether News Corporation has broken American laws Ed Pilkington in New York guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 2 May 2012 23.36 BST Rupert Murdoch's global media empire is facing a challenge on a new front in the billowing phone-hacking scandal after a powerful US Senate committee opened direct contact with British investigators in an attempt to find out whether News Corporation has broken American laws. John Rockefeller, chairman of the Senate committee on commerce, science and transportation, has written to Lord Justice Leveson, who leads the British judicial inquiry into media ethics, asking if he has uncovered any evidence relating questionable practices in the US. "I would like to know whether any of the evidence you are reviewing suggests that these unethical and sometimes illegal business practices occurred in the United States or involved US citizens," Rockefeller writes in a letter released on Wednesday. The development adds to the potential dangers facing News Corp, a publicly-traded company with its headquarters in New York. Rockefeller has taken a close interest in the unfolding phone-hacking saga, but it is the first time that a Senate committee member has acted in his official capacity. Should the committee decide to press its case, it has considerable powers at its disposal. It could convene official Senate hearings into the scandal and subpoena witnesses and documents from News Corp – though as yet there is no discussion of doing so. The commerce committee covers all means of communications in the US – including telecommunications, free-to-air broadcasting and cable TV. It also has oversight over the Federal Communications Commission, the regulatory body that has final say on the issuing of broadcast licences, including the 27 licences issued to the Fox TV network that is the jewel in Murdoch's crown. The FCC, which has come under pressure this week from ethics watchdogs calling for action against News Corp, can revoke licences if it deems that the companies holding them are not properly run in the public interest. In his letter to Leveson, Rockefeller asks whether some of the more than 5,000 potential victims of phone hacking by the now-defunct News of the World may have been American. "I am concerned about the possibility that some of these undisclosed victims are US citizens, and the possibility that telephone networks under the jurisdiction of US laws were used to intercept their voicemail messages." He adds that he wants to know whether any News Corp business had "used hacking, bribing, or other similar tactics when operating in the US". In a scathing attack on the Murdoch company, Rockefeller writes: "In a democratic society, members of the media have the freedom to aggressively probe their government's activities and expose wrongdoing. But, like all other citizens, they also have a duty to obey the law. "Evidence that is already in the public record clearly shows that for many years, News International had a widespread, institutional disregard for these laws." Rockefeller also asks for details emerging from the Leveson inquiry that indicated whether any News Corp executives based in New York were aware of illegal payments made by News of the World to British police and other public officials. "I would be very concerned if evidence emerged suggesting that News Corporation officials in New York were also aware of these illegal payments and did not act to stop them." The senator does not name individuals. Rupert Murdoch and his son James – who was until recently the chairman of News Corp's British newspaper division, News International – are based in the New York headquarters, as was Les Hinton, James Murdoch's predecessor, who was this week accused by the UK Commons culture committee of misleading parliament. Hinton resigned in July. Rockefeller's intervention was triggered by the final report of the British parliament's culture, media and sport select committee, which concluded that Murdoch was not fit to run a major international company. It comes two weeks after Mark Lewis, a British lawyer at the forefront of the phone-hacking investigations, opened investigations into four cases of alleged phone hacking that occurred in the US. On Wednesday, the News Corp board issued a statement backing Rupert Murdoch, saying its members had "full confidence" in his" fitness" to run the company he built from a single newspaper in Adelaide. News Corporation said that it based its vote of confidence on "Rupert Murdoch's vision and leadership" in building the company from its modest roots, "his ongoing performance", and his "demonstrated resolve to address the mistakes of the company identified in the select committee's report." On the same day as the Senate commerce committee made its move, a second US senator, Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, renewed his call for a US government investigation into whether News Corp broke anti-bribery and corruption laws. Lautenberg called for a robust inquiry into whether the company, by allegedly bribing public officials in he UK, had breached the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which forbids American citizens or companies from engaging in acts of bribery abroad.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/leveson-inquiry/9229550/Sketch-Rupert-Murdoch-gets-grumpy.html Sketch: Rupert Murdoch gets grumpy Michael Deacon describes Rupert Murdoch's second day at the Leveson Inquiry into media ethics and phone hacking. By Michael Deacon, Parliamentary Sketchwriter 6:22PM BST 26 Apr 2012 If Rupert Murdoch had known that phone hacking was widespread at the News of the World, he would, he said, “have torn the place apart”. It was a vision to make even the strongest man quail: this pint-sized elderly businessman mutating, Hulk-style, into a rage-fuelled nine-foot monster, green muscles bulging as he flings errant reporters through walls, drops printing presses onto editors’ heads and strangles executives with their own ties. Thank goodness the truth about hacking was kept from him for so long. At the Leveson Inquiry yesterday Mr Murdoch didn’t look capable of tearing a sandwich apart, let alone the offices of a newspaper, but he was, without question, in far more combative mood than he had been the day before. On Wednesday the News Corp CEO had spoken as calmly as a country parson; yesterday he grumbled, carped and glared. He looked like a grumpy boiled egg. Although he claimed that there had been a “cover-up” (by unnamed senior figures) at the News of the World, and that the hacking scandal would be “a blot on my reputation for the rest of my life”, he also took the opportunity to attack foes and rivals. The BBC; former employees; Vince Cable; competing newspapers; even his ex-housekeeper (“a very strange bird indeed, although he did keep it clean”). Remarkably, he also criticised his son James, the former chairman of News International, for paying such a large sum in compensation to one hacking victim, Gordon Taylor. This error apparently showed that James was “pretty inexperienced”. A couple of times he snapped back at his interrogator, Robert Jay QC. At one point Mr Jay queried Mr Murdoch’s failure to involve himself personally in dealing with phone hacking: “Some might say this is consistent with a desire to cover up.” “Maybe people with minds like yours,” snorted Mr Murdoch. Lord Leveson looked at him. “I take that back,” said Mr Murdoch quickly. He was certainly less careful with his phrasing than he had been on Wednesday. He referred to the hacking of a dead schoolgirl’s mobile phone as “the Milly Dowler misfortune”. Look at that word. “Misfortune.” As if her messages had been hacked by unhappy accident – a mere slip, the sort of mistake anyone could make. Still, at least Mr Murdoch deigns to use the word “hacking”. His son James has consistently preferred the phrase “voicemail interception”, which somehow makes it sound gentler, less invasive, a clean and possibly even harmless surgical procedure. Of course, two days of intense legal questioning must place quite a strain on an 81-year-old man – especially one with a memory as sketchy as Mr Murdoch’s. (Now we know where James gets it from – it must be genetic.) There proved to be a long list of events, meetings, people and actions that Mr Murdoch had “no memory of”. He didn’t “believe” he’d ever met Jeremy Hunt, the Culture Secretary, whose behaviour in relation to Mr Murdoch’s BSkyB takeover bid is now under ominous scrutiny. Often, after a question had been posed, Mr Murdoch would for some time sit silently staring at his hands, as if expecting to find the answers inscribed on them in tiny letters. But it seemed that they generally weren’t. ====== I just loved his pop at the "destructive technologies" - Internet. Had a good old whinge that free news online was reducing his chances at making money....then was all over the place saying print media had 10-20 years of life left in it...4 or 5 different responses, gave 3 different time-scales....he was all over the place... "Nice" little pop at the BBC, too. He came across as a pathetic, bitter, angry figure....

Better than that! Imagine where we'd be without Christianity suppressing science for 500 years! If only the Shuttle had survived all the design compromises, too

Saturn really was a monster, eh...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/phone-hacking/9213455/Sun-royal-editor-Duncan-Larcombe-held-in-illegal-payment-raids.html Sun royal editor Duncan Larcombe held in 'illegal payment' raids The Sun's royal editor Duncan Larcombe was today arrested by detectives investigating alleged illegal payments to public officials by journalists. 10:00AM BST 19 Apr 2012 He was one of three people, also including a former member of the Armed Forces, held in dawn raids by detectives from Scotland Yard's Operation Elveden. Mr Larcombe, 36, who was The Sun's defence editor until last year, was arrested at his home in Kent on suspicion of conspiracy to corrupt and conspiracy to cause misconduct in a public office. He was being questioned at a police station in Kent. The ex-serviceman, aged 42, and a 38-year-old woman were held at an address in Lancashire at 6am. The man was held on suspicion of misconduct in a public office and a woman on suspicion of aiding and abetting misconduct in a public office. They were being questioned at a police station in Lancashire. Officers carried out searches at the homes of those under arrest. Scotland Yard said in a statement: "Today's operation is the result of information provided to police by News Corporation's management standards committee. "It relates to suspected payments to a public official and is not about seeking journalists to reveal confidential sources in relation to information that has been obtained legitimately." The Management and Standards Committee was set up by Rupert Murdoch's parent company News Corp in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal that led to the closure of the News of the World last July. It is carrying out internal investigations relating to Mr Murdoch's remaining UK papers – The Sun, the Times and the Sunday Times – and is working closely with the police team investigating alleged phone-hacking and corrupt payments to police and other public officials. The raids bring to 26 the number of people who have now been held as part of the Elveden inquiry – which is linked to the Met's wide-ranging phone hacking probe – since July. In total, more than 50 people have now been arrested by officers investigating phone hacking, computer hacking, and payments to public officials. The arrests came a day after prosecutors announced that they were considering whether to bring charges against 11 suspects in the scandal, after police handed over the first set of files from its investigation. The 11 suspects in the files are believed to include Rebekah Brooks, the former News International chief executive. The files handed over to the CPS relate to four journalists, one police officer and six other individuals and cover a range of alleged offences stemming from the investigation which began when the full extent of the phone hacking scandal was exposed last year. The four files, which were handed to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) within the past few weeks, relate to a variety of alleged offences covering journalists from beyond the now-defunct News of the World. While the CPS refused to reveal the identities of those journalists named in the files, it is believed those whose cases are with prosecutors include Mrs Brooks, Amelia Hill, a reporter on The Guardian, and the former News of the World chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck. A total of 43 people are on bail in connection with the various police operations and it is thought more files will be passed to the CPS in the coming weeks.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/blog/2012/apr/18/national-archives-release-colonial-papers-live-blog This is going to take some time to go through, but should be very interesting...possibly damaging, too! http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/apr/18/britain-destroyed-records-colonial-crimes http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/apr/18/barack-obama-father-colonial-list http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/apr/18/britain-poison-gas-tests-botswana http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/18/colonial-office-eliminations-malayan-insurgency http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/blog/2012/apr/18/colonial-papers-ugly-legacy-empire

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/dc25cbd4-8333-11e1-9f9a-00144feab49a.html#axzz1rgMA3Xkq April 10, 2012 11:45 pm ICO condemns Motorman leaks By Maija Palmer The Information Commissioner’s Office has condemned as “deeply irresponsible” the publication of files from Operation Motorman which detail alleged violations of the Data Protection Act by journalists. Paul Staines, who runs the Guido Fawkes website, on Monday published details of over 1,000 requests allegedly made by News International journalists to Steve Whittamore, the private investigator. These included requests for ex-directory numbers, criminal record checks and vehicle records. Mr Whittamore was the subject of Operation Motorman in 2003, the largest operation mounted by the information commissioner into the illegal trade in private data. He was convicted in 2005 of illegally obtaining private data and received a conditional discharge. Some 305 journalists from publications including the Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, News of the World and the Observer, were identified by the ICO as using private investigators to obtain private information. Use of private detectives to obtain personal data without consent is not necessarily illegal, as journalists have legal protection from the Data Protection Act if the action taken is in the public interest. The Leveson inquiry into phone hacking had been considering whether the details from the enquiry should be put into the public domain, but had not yet reached a decision. The ICO has resisted publication to protect the identities of people allegedly targeted by journalists. “The issue of publication is being considered by the Leveson Inquiry and it’s most unfortunate that Guido Fawkes has chosen to jump the gun,” the ICO said. “Putting these into the public domain in this way is a serious violation of many people’s privacy and raises more questions than it answers.” The Guido Fawkes blog responded in Twitter messages that the ICO was “asleep on the job” and accused it of trying to “sweep Motorman under the carpet”. The pressure group Hacked Off, which has been campaigning for the public disclosure of the Motorman files, said on Tuesday that it had not been involved in leaking the files. “Though we have been campaigning for full disclosure of these important documents we were not involved in this initiative. We are not in possession of the Motorman files,” the group said.

http://www.space.com/15099-apollo-moon-rocket-engine-recovery-infographic.html Billionaire space enthusiast and entrepreneur Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com, has announced an audacious plan to retrieve the five massive rocket engines used to launch NASA's historic Apollo 11 mission to land the first men on the moon in 1969. The five F-1 rocket engines were jettisoned along with the rest of the Saturn V moon rocket's first stage after liftoff. For more than 40 years, they've sat on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. See what the Apollo 11 F-1 moon rocket engines were like in this SPACE.com infographic :

And now we have James Cameron's trip down there...although he had to return early because of technical difficulties... One does have to wonder, however, how much is left, and in what condition after so many years under water....? Yes, going to be a very interesting story to follow.

Jesus Cheristo! http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/apr/05/sky-news-hacking-emails-canoe-man?newsfeed=true Sky News admits hacking emails of 'canoe man' Broadcaster says accessing of emails of John Darwin, who faked own death, was authorised by executives and in public interest Dan Sabbagh, Nick Davies and Robert Booth guardian.co.uk, Thursday 5 April 2012 12.38 BST Sky News has admitted that one of its senior executives authorised a journalist to conduct email hacking on two separate occasions that it said were "in the public interest" – even though intercepting emails is a prima facie breach of the Computer Misuse Act, to which there is no such defence written in law. Gerard Tubb, the broadcaster's northern England correspondent, accessed emails belonging to John Darwin, the "canoe man" accused of faking his own death, when his wife, Anne, was due to stand trial for deception in July 2008. The reporter built up a database of emails that he believed would help defeat Anne Darwin's defence; her husband had pleaded guilty to seven charges of deception before her trial. The same reporter accessed the email accounts of a suspected paedophile and his wife in an investigation that did not lead to any material being published or broadcast, according to a statement sent to the Guardian by Sky, which is part-owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Both instances of hacking were approved by Simon Cole, the managing editor of Sky News. John Ryley, the head of Sky News, said the broadcaster had "authorised a journalist to access the emails of individuals suspected of criminal activity" and the hacking in both cases was "justified and in the public interest". Ryley said the broadcaster's decisions required "finely balanced judgment" and they were "subjected to the proper editorial controls". The broadcaster said it stood by Tubb and that there were instances when the broadcaster believed breaking the law was justified to produce a news story of public interest. It cited the example of a Sky News journalist buying an Uzi machine gun in the UK. Darwin faked his own death in 2002, "going missing" after he was last seen paddling out to sea in a canoe. He secretly flew to Panama, where he was later joined by his wife, only to return to Britain in 2007. Walking into a London police station in December 2007, he declared: "I think I may be a missing person", but later that month both he and his wife were charged with fraud after it emerged that they had been photographed in Panama with an estate agent and that Anne Darwin had cashed in her husband's life insurance policy. He pleaded guilty to seven charges of deception and a passport offence in March 2008, leaving his wife to face six charges of deception and nine of money laundering at a trial due to begin four months later. At around this point, Sky News said, Tubb discovered that John Darwin used the identity of a friend, John Jones. According to the broadcaster, Tubb conducted an internet search to reveal a Yahoo email account in the name of John Jones and, in the belief that Yahoo accounts were "notoriously weak at the time", the journalist was confident he could gain access with his existing background knowledge. He then sought permission to access the emails, an investigation that led him on to further email accounts. In the first week of July 2008, Sky News said executives met Cleveland police officials and handed over "pertinent" emails. Anne Darwin was found guilty in the trial that followed shortly afterwards, and was sentenced to six and half years in prison; John Darwin was sentenced to six years, three months. Shortly after, Tubb produced a story for Sky's news channel and website in which he quoted from emails that had been written by John Darwin to his wife and to a lawyer. A web story, still on Sky News's site at the time of writing, said the channel "has uncovered documentary evidence" that demonstrates "conclusively why John Darwin came back to Britain". Making only a minimal effort to hide the basis of the story, Tubb's report said Sky News had "discovered an email" from John to Anne dated 31 May 2007, in which he says changes to visa regulations meant he could no longer stay in Panama, where he was hiding on a tourist visa. The report cited evidence from several emails between the couple, including a "final email" from Anne that was not, "as suggested in court", evidence of a "massive row" between them, an email that Tubb said had been "handed to the police by Sky News". The story displayed a picture of "John and Anne Darwin's masterplan", showing a detailed diagram that had apparently been produced by Darwin, and claimed to have obtained detailed financial accounts prepared by Darwin. In another story, published in November 2009, Tubb quoted directly from an email written by John Darwin to his wife in 2007, explaining that their property in Panama had been valued at $1m and adding: "You're a filthy rich gringo". But a link to copies of the couple's emails is now dead. Intercepting emails is an offence under the Computer Misuse Act, and there is no public interest defence written in law. Theoretically, however, any email hacking charges would have to be brought at the discretion of the police and the Crown Prosecution Service, which could weigh up whether any intrusions could be justified. The role of the CPS in this area is untested, and Keir Starmer, the director of public prosecutions, told the Leveson inquiry in February that he intended to issue guidance to clarify the issue. Danvers Baillieu, a specialist internet lawyer with Pinsent Masons, said that while there was no public interest defence "it doesn't mean that a jury would convict a person, or a judge would punish them, because there is usually a discretion in such cases". However, he added that "the difficulty for news organisations is the question of where do you draw the line: would it be legitimate to break into somebody's house who is suspected of committing a crime? The issue with computer offences is that people can do it from their offices, and believe it is a lesser offence than any other type of intrusion." Sensitivities at Sky News are running high because the broadcaster's parent, BSkyB, is subject to a "fit and proper" investigation being conducted by the communications regulator, Ofcom, in the wake of the News of the World phone-hacking scandal. However, that investigation is focused on News Corporation's shareholding, and the continuining directorship of James Murdoch, who stepped down as chairman on Wednesday and who was executive chairman of News International. Cleveland police said the force did inquire about the provenance of the emails at the time, and said it continued to do so. A statement said: "Cleveland police has conducted an initial review into these matters and can confirm that enquiries are ongoing into how the emails were obtained." Tubb declined to speak to the Guardian. Cole is on leave, and forwarded inquiries to the Sky News press office. Ryley said Sky News had asked the law firm Herbert Smith to conduct a separate review of staff email records and payment records in the light of "heightened interest in editorial practices". However, the broadcaster said that because Tubb's email hacking had been sanctioned, his work had not come up as part of that exercise. Ryley said there were "no grounds for concern" regarding any of its other journalists, and that Sky News believed there were rare occasions when tensions could arise between the law and responsible investigative journalism. Tubb's authorised email hacking contrasts with another example of a potentially illegal email access, conducted by Patrick Foster while he was employed by the Times. Foster accessed emails belonging to the anonymous police blogger Nightjack to out him as a serving Lancashire police officer, Richard Horton, but his actions were not authorised by any executive. A story naming Horton was later published by the Times, but the editor, James Harding, said he was not made aware of the unauthorised email access until after the newspaper had begun a court battle to allow the police officer to be named, which it won. Harding said if he had been aware of the hacking previously he would have disciplined the journalist and told him to drop the story. "I squarely do not approve of what happened," the editor told the Leveson inquiry in February.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-17544565 29 March 2012 Last updated at 00:43 Amazon boss Jeff Bezos 'finds Apollo 11 Moon engines' Amazon founder Jeff Bezos says he has located the long-submerged F-1 engines that blasted the Apollo 11 Moon mission into space. In a blog post, Mr Bezos said the five engines were found using advanced sonar scanning some 14,000ft (4,300m) below the ocean surface. Mr Bezos, a billionaire bookseller and space-flight enthusiast, said he was making plans to raise one or more. Apollo 11 carried astronauts on the first Moon landing mission in 1969. The F-1 engines were used on the giant Saturn V rocket that carried the Apollo landing module out of the Earth's atmosphere and towards the Moon. They burned for just a few minutes before separating from the second stage module and falling to Earth somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. Mr Bezos' announcement comes days after film director James Cameron succeeded in his own deep-sea expedition, reaching the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the deepest point on the planet. Museum hopes Announcing the discovery on his Bezos Expeditions website, Mr Bezos described the F-1 as a "modern wonder" that boasted 32 million horsepower and burned 6,000lb (2,720kg) of rocket-grade kerosene and liquid oxygen every second. "I was five years old when I watched Apollo 11 unfold on television, and without any doubt it was a big contributor to my passions for science, engineering, and exploration," he wrote, confirming that his team had located the engines but without hinting where they might be. "We don't know yet what condition these engines might be in - they hit the ocean at high velocity and have been in salt water for more than 40 years. On the other hand, they're made of tough stuff, so we'll see," Mr Bezos wrote. His privately funded team was planning to raise one or more engines, he wrote. He said he planned to ask Nasa - which still owns the rockets - for permission to display one in the Museum of Flight in his home city of Seattle. Nasa said it looked forward to hearing more about the recovery, the Associated Press reports. Other elements of the Apollo missions - including the Apollo 11 landing module - are on display in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC. The attempt to raise the F-1 engines is not the first foray into space technology for Mr Bezos. In 2000 he founded a private space flight firm, Blue Origin, which has received Nasa funding and is working on making sub-orbital space flight commercially available.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/mar/21/rebekah-brooks-questioned-by-police?newsfeed=true Rebekah Brooks questioned by police The former News International chief executive attended Milton Keynes police station to answer police bail dating back to her arrest in July of last year Dan Sabbagh guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 21 March 2012 18.00 GMT Rebekah Brooks, the former News International chief executive, has been questioned at Milton Keynes police station by police officers investigating alleged phone hacking at the News of the World and alleged corrupt payments made to public officials. Rupert Murdoch's long time confidante was answering police bail dating back to her arrest in July of last year, when she was held on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications and on suspicion of corruption allegations by officers from the Metropolitan police's Operation Weeting and Operation Elveden inquiries respectively. Scotland Yard confirmed that a 43-year-old woman answered police bail on Wednesday in relation to ongoing inquiries, but would not otherwise offer any details or update. The Milton Keynes Citizen reported that she had arrived in a Black BMW around 10am. Shortly after 5pm, the Met said that the 43-year-old, had left the police station, and had been rebailed to attend a London police station on a date in May, pending further inquiries. Earlier in March, Brooks was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice in a dawn raid at her home, which also saw her husband Charlie arrested. She was held for more than 12 hours on that occasion and bailed as regards that matter until April.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/mar/20/sun-sunday-sales-slump-rivals-regroup?newsfeed=true "News of the World 2" sales down 300,000. Rivals more or less shrug off the losses from its launch 4 weeks ago.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/03/14/uk-britain-murdoch-idUKBRE82D11B20120314?feedType=RSS&feedName=GCA-GoogleNewsUK&google_editors_picks=true James Murdoch pleads innocence ahead of committee report LONDON | Wed Mar 14, 2012 6:41pm GMT (Reuters) - James Murdoch has written to an influential parliamentary committee, investigating a phone hacking scandal at his company, to apologise and restate his innocence ahead of a potentially damaging report that could determine his future in Britain. The 39-year-old son of Rupert wrote to the committee to accept responsibility for failing to uncover the criminal behaviour, which has damaged the reputation of the News Corp media empire, British politicians and police. At stake is his role as chairman of British pay-TV group BSkyB and potentially his future at News Corp, where he had for years been marked out as the heir apparent to his father Rupert as chief executive. "I did not know about, nor did I try to hide, wrongdoing," he said in the letter published by the committee on Wednesday. "Whilst I accept my share of responsibility for not uncovering wrongdoing sooner, I did not mislead parliament and the evidence does not support any other conclusion." Analysts and some shareholders believe Murdoch would struggle to remain at BSkyB if he is singled out for particular criticism as it could impact his ability to negotiate with the government and regulators on behalf of one of Britain's most powerful media firms. The all-party committee summoned James and his father Rupert to a hearing at the height of the scandal last July, for a three-hour often testy grilling that was watched live by millions on television in both Britain and the United States. Just four months later, the younger Murdoch had to return to answer further detailed questions over what he knew and when after two former colleagues publicly contradicted his evidence. News Corp's British newspaper arm News International had long argued that the hacking of voicemails to generate stories was the work of a single rogue reporter and private investigator who had already gone to jail for the crime. But as more people came forward to accuse the company of hacking their phones, that defence crumbled and attention turned to those at the top of the company and it was asked why they had not pushed further to discover the truth. "Clearly, with the benefit of hindsight, I acknowledge that wrongdoing should have been uncovered earlier," Murdoch said in his letter. The parliamentary committee had originally planned to publish its report before Christmas but due to the sensitivity of the material it is having to write the document by committee and is now aiming for the Easter holiday in April. (Reporting by Kate Holton; editing by Georgina Prodhan)

Oh go on, I'll say it : The question is "Will they, though?" Or does Murdoch (either/or) still have "influence" over our government, (police? CPS?) enough to limit the charges, or get them trivialised to the point of a slap on the wrist? Would they "sacrifice" Ms Brooks, or try to help her out? Will they ever investigate their ties to the previous government, and even though they've tried distancing themselves, this one, too? It's going to be an interesting few months, to say the least.... I just won't be holding my breath.

Six arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice by phone hacking police Six people have been arrested on suspicion of conspiring to pervert the course of justice by police officers from Operation Weeting investigating allegations of phone hacking. By Matthew Holehouse 8:54AM GMT 13 Mar 2012 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/phone-hacking/9140031/Six-arrested-on-suspicion-of-conspiracy-to-pervert-the-course-of-justice-by-phone-hacking-police.html Police arrested six people at addresses in London, Oxfordshire, Hampshire and Hertfordshire. The five men, aged between 38 and 49, and one woman, aged 43, were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. The co-ordinated arrests were made between 5am and 7am by officers from Operation Weeting, the Metropolitan Police's investigation into the illegal interception of voicemails. They are being interviewed at police stations in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and central, east and south west London. Officers are searching the properties where the arrests were made. One man, 48, was arrested at a business address in east London. The 43-year old woman and the 49-year old man were arrested at their home addresses in Oxfordshire and are being interviewed at separate police stations. It takes the total number of arrests under Operation Weeting to 23. The investigation was launched in January 2011 after the Metropolitan Police received new information from News International, the publishers of the News of the World, the Sun, the Times and the Sunday Times. It is being led by deputy assistant commissioner Sue Akers and has 91 officers working on it. Previous arrests under Operation Weeting include Ian Edmondson, the former News of the World assistant editor; Neville Thurlbeck, the former chief reporter; Neil Wallis, the former executive editor; Rebekah Brooks, the former News International chief executive; and Stuart Kuttner, the former managing editor. Previous Operation Weeting arrests for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice include Cheryl Carter, the long-standing PA to Rebekah Brooks; Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator; and Ross Hall, the former NOTW reporter.

Off-Com to challenge whether BSkyB is "fit and proper" to hold a broadcasting licence. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f3dd6456-6940-11e1-9618-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1oYPaCQsY Rupert Murdoch is facing a fresh challenge to his UK media business as it emerged that Britain’s communications regulator has escalated its probe into whether British Sky Broadcasting is a “fit and proper” owner of a broadcasting licence. Following preliminary investigations last year, Ofcom set up a dedicated team in January – dubbed “Project Apple” – to scrutinise material emerging from the Leveson inquiry and the police’s investigations into phone hacking and corrupting public officials, according to minutes released under a Freedom of Information Act request. The decision to set up a team dedicated to assessing whether BSkyB should still hold a broadcasting licence in light of the phone hacking scandal is a setback to James Murdoch, who has remained chairman of BSkyB, despite stepping down as executive chairman of News International last month. The probe is considering the status of both James Murdoch and News Corp, which holds a 39.1 per cent stake in BSkyB, as “fit and proper” persons to own the BSkyB licence. Should Ofcom rule against either of them, it could threaten James Murdoch’s position as chairman of BSkyB or start a process that would force News Corp, chaired by Rupert Murdoch, to cut its stake in BSkyB to a level where it was no longer deemed to control the company. Project Apple was discussed at a board meeting on January 24, according to the minutes released under the FOI request. The regulator also discussed the issue at a board meeting in late February, the minutes of which have not been released. BSkyB’s status to hold a broadcasting licence was also discussed in September and December, but only as part of the chief executive’s report. The decision to escalate the matter came at the beginning of the year on the back of dialogue between the regulator, politicians and the police. The regulator last July reassured politicians that it would continue to monitor whether BSkyB was “fit and proper” to maintain its licence in light of concerns over News Corp’s subsidiaries’ involvement in phone hacking in the UK. At the time the regulator made clear it did not have to wait for the end of the criminal investigation, nor was it necessary for any individual to be convicted for it to reach its conclusion. However, a decision on the “fit and proper” test is not expected until the Leveson inquiry and Metropolitan Police investigations are more advanced. Ofcom said on Thursday: “New evidence is still emerging from the various enquiries in relation to the hacking and corruption allegations. Ofcom is continuing to assess the evidence that may assist it in discharging its duties.” BSkyB declined to comment. Last summer Rupert Murdoch bowed to intense political pressure and withdrew News Corp’s planned bid to take full control of BSkyB after the company admitted public condemnation of phone hacking at his UK newspapers made the climate “too difficult”. The decision to abandon the 13-month pursuit of the UK satellite broadcaster, which would have cost £8.3bn or more, means the hacking scandal forced Rupert Murdoch not only to close his most widely read newspaper, the News of the World, but also curtailed his ambitions to consolidate his pay-television empire in Europe. News Corp has maintained its holding in the broadcaster, giving it the option of taking over BSkyB in the future. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2012.

Two UK Murdoch journalists in apparent suicide bids ReutersBy Georgina Prodhan | Reuters – 13 minutes ago http://uk.news.yahoo.com/two-murdoch-journalists-apparent-suicide-bids-194711969.html LONDON (Reuters) - Two senior journalists working for Rupert Murdoch's News International have apparently attempted suicide as pressure mounts at the scandal-hit publisher of the now-defunct News of the World. Three sources close to the company told Reuters on Tuesday the two journalists at the Sun daily appeared to have tried to take their own lives. Investigations sparked by a phone-hacking scandal continue to expose dubious practices by present and past employees. Eleven current and former staff of the Sun, Britain's best-selling daily tabloid, have been arrested this year on suspicion of bribing police or civil servants for tip-offs. Their arrests have come as a result of information provided to the police by the Management and Standards Committee (MSC), a body set up by parent company News Corp to facilitate police investigations and liaise with the courts. The work of the MSC, which was set up to be independent of the conglomerate's British newspaper arm News International, has caused bitterness among staff, many of whom feel betrayed by an employer they have loyally served. "People think that they've been thrown under a bus," one News International employee told Reuters. "They're beyond angry - there's an utter sense of betrayal, not just with the organisation but with a general lynch-mob hysteria." News International is facing multiple criminal investigations and civil court cases as well as a public inquiry into press standards after long-simmering criticism of its practices came to a head last July. Politicians once close to Murdoch, including Prime Minister David Cameron, turned their backs on him and demanded answers after the Guardian newspaper revealed the News of the World had hacked the phone of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler. Police officer Sue Akers, who is heading three criminal inquiries into News International, said last week there appeared to have been "a culture of illegal payments" at the Sun. Staff at the tabloid have been under additional pressure for the past two weeks because they have also had to produce a Sunday paper, hastily announced by Murdoch to replace the News of the World. News International has increased the level of psychiatric help available to employees to help them cope. (editing by Tim Pearce and Robert Woodward) EDIT : One wonders whether said psychiatric help is available to upper management and the Murdochs....

OK, did anyone from the UK here actually buy and/or read News of the World MK2, aka Sun on Sunday? Lol? SOS? SOLD OUR SOULS!

Hmm, OK, maybe a little more German than appears - Awful lot of Heinkel and Dornier planes built by them in WW2.... O_o